Samsung UE46ES6300 review

This Edge LED TV has bitten off more than it can chew

For

Freesat HD and Freeview HD

ITV Player app

3D & 2D Blu-ray

Smooth motion

Against

Underpowered Smart Hub

Narrow viewing angle

Apps needs customising

Average contrast

Lusting after flatscreen TVs is nothing new, but Edge LED TVs such as the Samsung 9000 Series, the Philips 9000 Series and Sony's HX853 Series, and the luscious Panasonic VT50 Series of plasmas, are beyond the reach of most of us. However, if you're after smart TV with Full HD resolution and 3D compatibility, you could do worse than take a step or two down the ladder of Samsung's Edge LED TVs until you arrive at the Samsung UE46ES6300.

A 46-inch Edge LED TV, the Samsung UE46ES6300's slim bezel of merely 12mm (0.5 inches) squeezes in both Freesat HD and Freeview HD TV tuners. Smart TV is delivered via Wi-Fi and includes apps exclusive to Samsung, the star of which is the ITV Player.

Design-wise, the Samsung UE46ES6300 features a clear plastic rim that adds another 8mm (0.3 inches) or so to the width of that bezel, although that transparent edge increases to just over a centimetre on the undercarriage, with a panel depth of 46.9mm (1.8 inches) par for the course at this price.

There are other hints that the UE46ES6300 is not Samsung's poshest effort, priced as it is at £1,149.99 (around AU$1,778/US$1,844). Its 200Hz Clear Motion Rate puts it a rung below the Samsung ES6800 Series, and there's no sign of a touchpanel remote or any voice/gesture controls, either, though we didn't expect any of that on a TV of that price.

We're just happy that two pairs of active shutter 3D glasses are supplied, even more so because they're the SSG-4100GB model, Samsung's own watch battery-powered specs that come flat-packed. Each slender - and suspiciously snap-able - arm has to be slotted into the lens surround, though we're hardly in Airfix territory.

They weigh an astonishing 107g (236lbs) and claim to work for 150 hours (though rechargeable models are also available that run for two hours on just a minute's charging in one of the Samsung UE46ES6300's USB slots).

Built around Samsung's X10+ chassis, the Samsung UE46ES6300 is not a dual core TV, and nor is there any of the micro dimming tech that we've appreciated on Samsung's higher-end TVs.

What the Samsung UE46ES6300 does have is SoundShare, which uses its Bluetooth 3.0. skills to wirelessly link up to a Samsung-made sound dock, such as the DA-750, which we were supplied with for this review.

It's a neat, though expensive (at around £550) way of increasing the audio prowess of flatscreen TVs, which regularly disappoint.

Also available

Samsung's 6300 Series is about as extensive as it gets in the flat TV market. First up in the range is the 32-inch UE32ES6300 and the 37-inch UE37ES6300, which go for £649.99 and £799.99 respectively, though neither of these small screen sets are 3D-ready.

Only at the 40-inch size do we get 3D glasses (two of them) - the 40-inch UE40ES6300 sells for £879.99, while up the pecking order from our review sample are the 50-inch UE50ES6300 (£1,299), 55-inch UE55ES6300 (£1,599.99) and the mammoth 60-inch UE60ES6300 (£2,499.99).

However, it's worth checking out the latest prices; although it has a list price of £1,150, we found the Samsung UE46ES6300 online for a paltry £849, which is about right in our judgement.